Monday Morning Open Thread

I am up to my neck in work and am on a plane right now to D.C.. I’ll be participating in a Day of Action with other members of the We Belong Together women’s coalition to advocate for fair and inclusive immigration reform. On Wednesday, I fly from D.C. to San Jose, California, for Netroots Nation. My mother-in-law, who is visiting us from El Salvador, is caring for the kids all week.

On Friday, I was desperately trying to tie loose ends when I had to stop to deal with drama at home. Since it was the last week of school, Ari had been invited to go swimming with a friend. Eli threw a fit because she had no playdate. After trying to secure one with a friend, I said “f**k it” and told her we’d go to the “beach” together.

For some months, I had been running and cycling by the Berkeley marina and noticed what looked like a beach but with no one swimming in the water. I assumed because it was too cold, although considering it’s by the freeway, it could be pollution, too. On Friday, I decided to take Eli to try it out. Guess what? The water was very nice and we both swam in it for an hour!

As I was waddling in the water, the soft waves lapping by my ears, I couldn’t help but feel pretty lucky. Eli’s tantrum led us to this spot, and it was the first time in 13 years that I have lived in Berkeley that I thought I really have everything here. Having grown up in Miami, I have always been a beach girl and now I discovered that there was one five minutes by my house. I could see us taking off to go for a quick dip during times of stress — and I am grateful for that.

In other news: Let’s give our ginabad some love by clicking on her blog post and tweeting out our support. She is applying for a health blogger bootcamp — to create a more toxic-free world for our kids — and we all know she’d be perfect for this. Thanks!

Admittedly, I was sucked into this FOX News about men possibly causing menopause. Science Moms: what do you think of this study?

Finally, I just learned what caused my dizziness at my half marathon two weeks ago. It wasn’t the heat as I had thought. As it turns out, I have an irritated nerve in the right side of my neck that makes me dizzy and causes a sharp pain up my entire right arm from my shoulder to my wrist. I thought it was RSI and went to the doctor. When she pressed down on my head to my right shoulder, I felt queasy. Yup, that’s it.

So I’ve been taking it very easy, no exercise videos, no running or cycling. I’ve gone for walks and that is it. I am taking ibuprofen and may go to physical therapy sessions until the pain in my neck and right arm subside.